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Crossing new borders: computers, mobile phones, transportation, and E nglish language among H ispanic day laborers in S eattle, W ashington
Author(s) -
Baron Luis Fernando,
Neils Moriah,
Gomez Ricardo
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of the association for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.903
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 2330-1643
pISSN - 2330-1635
DOI - 10.1002/asi.22949
Subject(s) - information and communications technology , immigration , citizen journalism , the internet , work (physics) , business , multimedia , world wide web , computer science , engineering , political science , mechanical engineering , law
Here we present an investigation of the use of computers and mobile phones by H ispanic day laborers at C asa L atina, a community‐building nonprofit organization for L atino immigrants in S eattle, W ashington. Drawing from 95 structured interviews, 6 in‐depth interviews, a focus group, and a series of participatory observations of computer training classes at C asa L atina, we find that information and communication technologies ( ICT ) help immigrant day laborers remain connected with their families and their employers and facilitate their navigation of, and integration into, the society in which they have precarious social and economic standing. ICT help immigrant day laborers maintain links with their past and their roots, offer tools to navigate their present needs, and help them build future plans and aspirations. H ispanic day laborers experience ICT mostly through mobile phones used to communicate with employers and families; they use computers and the Internet to communicate with family and friends. In addition, the experience of the immigrant day laborers is strongly influenced by their E nglish‐language proficiency—which helps them navigate daily life in the U nited S tates and communicate with employers—and their use of transportation to move around the city for work and daily life. The results of this study offer new insight into the ways in which day laborers in S eattle use ICT to help them meet personal and employment needs and realize their long‐term goals.